HCB Chapter 50 Starch
Chapter 50 Starch
Having received clear instructions, Leyou and Lenian quickly selected the hardest stone from the pile. After choosing the stone, it still needed to be shaped to Lezhi's specifications. Lezhi could only use his mouth; Lenian was in charge of the physical work, while Leyou assisted.
Leyou had previously mentioned that Le Nian's craftsmanship was excellent, but after witnessing it firsthand, Lezhi realized that Leyou hadn't exaggerated. This was also the first time he had discovered that the difference between talents among tree spirits was so significant.
After seeing that Le Nian and Le Zhi had determined the shape he needed, he simply marked it and picked up the standard knife issued by the tribe to start working. Whether it was because he found the right angle or because he was strong, the extremely hard stone was like a block of tofu in his hands, which he kneaded and flattened.
Lezhi secretly took out his knife and stabbed it hard into a discarded stone. The sound of metal clashing against stone rang out, the stone was scratched, and Lezhi's own hand felt a dull pain, but the knife was completely unharmed.
Biting her lip in frustration, Lezhi continued to watch Le Nian's effortless movements. If everyone's knives were the same, then the difference lay in the users. Clearly, Le Nian's strength and talent far surpassed Lezhi's.
Having realized the difference between himself and Le Nian, Le Zhi stopped trying to make trouble for himself and focused on watching Le Nian's actions.
Before long, two round stone discs, one large and one small, were formed. The smaller one had a hole the size of a fist drilled in it, as requested by Lezhi.
“These two stone discs should also have some textures and grooves on their surfaces, here and here…” Lezhi stepped forward and pointed out the locations of the grooves to Le Nian.
"Okay, I got it. Stand a little further away, or the pebbles might splash out and hit you."
Lezhi obediently stood at a distance as Le Nian instructed. At this time, Leyou had already found suitable wood to make handrails and supports. According to the size of the stone mill, Leyou disassembled the wood and then reassembled it piece by piece.
Lezhi curiously leaned closer to watch, wondering how wooden objects were fixed together in Jormungand. He thought he was about to witness a different world's version of mortise and tenon joints, but to his surprise, Lezhi simply placed his hand over the joint for a moment, and then removed it, and the two pieces of wood were firmly connected.
"What's the principle behind this? How did you connect them together?" Lezhi couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, as this was a bit beyond his comprehension.
"Hmm? You're interested in this? It's very simple, here it is." Seeing Lezhi's eager expression, Leyou smiled gently and opened his palm for Lezhi to see.
I noticed some black seeds the size of sesame seeds on his palm. "These are the seeds of the sticky grass. They have a short growth cycle and can attach themselves to any plant to survive. They grow by invading the plant and firmly attaching themselves to it. Their biggest advantage is that the plant itself is very strong. Once it grows, it cannot be broken without a strong external force."
"And the most perfect thing is..." Leyou placed the seed in Lezhi's hand, "This plant can only survive by relying on the wood-type talent of our tree spirit race. Once there is no energy supply, it will die immediately. As time goes by, their plant remains will become harder and stronger. After discovering this characteristic, sticky grass is often used by us as an adhesive for wood products. After many years of verification, it is very effective."
With a playful wink, Leyou continued, "These seeds are for you. If you like, you can plant some in the house to ripen and save the seeds. The wood vines won't mind these little things."
"Oh?" Clasp her hands together, and a thought flashed through Lezhi's mind, "Plants can be used to grow other plants...?"
"Is that possible? When we go out, we often see new plants growing on the branches of various living or dead plants." Thinking that Lezhi's muttering to himself was a question, Leyou rested his chin on his hand and looked up at the sky as if he was thinking.
His casual remark inspired Lezhi, who then confirmed, "So, in the clan's territory, as long as we find a way to prevent other plants from encroaching on the house vine's territory, that should be fine, right? What if I find some withered plants as a foundation, or use other plants to grow alongside the house vine, and then exchange some wood-type energy with it? Do you think that's feasible?"
Leyou was stunned by Lezhi's sudden barrage of words, but looking at Lezhi's sparkling eyes and expectant expression, Leyou seriously considered the possibility he had proposed. "Hmm, it seems that the domineering nature of the Wood Vine has always been directed at plants, and it is very friendly to the Tree Spirits. You could even say that it is very responsive to their every request. Why don't you... give it a try?"
"Let's start with a small amount. If Wu Muteng is willing, we can gradually expand the scope, one step at a time!" Leyou said.
Knowing that Leyou didn't object to her wanting to experiment, Lezhi raised the corners of her mouth and smiled, "Yeah, after I'm done with my work, I'll go out of the tribe to find suitable plants for the foundation."
Seeing Lezhi's excited expression, Leyou smiled and reached out to pat his head. "Okay, I'll go with you then."
Having made the agreement, Leyou didn't waste any more time. The stone mill on Le Nian's side was basically complete, and he needed to speed things up. Not long after, the first version of the otherworldly stone mill was officially completed.
They happened to be right by the stream, so they took advantage of the convenience. Le Nian pushed the millstone while Le Zhi added the feed, and the millstone, which had already been cleaned from top to bottom, officially began to operate.
"Wow, the stone fruit is really crushed!" After the juice started to come out, Leyou, who was responsible for cutting the peeled stone fruit into suitable small pieces, couldn't help but put down his work and run to the front of the stone mill to watch.
Leyou was amazed to find that the stone fruits in the bucket, which had been ground by the stone mill, were very fine. "These are much finer than the ones that were cut up," he exclaimed.
"Of course. Actually, if you want it to be even finer, you can grind it again, but we're just making starch, so this is enough."
Lezhi continued adding ingredients, explaining to Leyou. Seeing Le Nian still enthusiastically pushing the millstone, Lezhi felt a little guilty. "Le Nian, if you get tired, you must say so, and we can take over."
"I know, you've told me so many times. How can pushing it for a little while be tiring? It's not as tiring as a hunting class. It's like playing around." Le Nian waved his hand casually. He had been called by Le You to run to choose stones, then he was the main person in charge of making the millstone, and now he was undertaking the most arduous task of pushing the millstone. Yet, he didn't look tired at all, and his voice was full of energy. It was clear that he was indeed not tired.
"Hehe, Lezhi, don't worry about Le Nian. Do you think I specifically asked him for help? Le Nian is a genius among our group of sub-adolescents. Putting aside his talent and abilities, just his strength alone is immense. He has possessed tremendous strength since he was a cub. Without using his talent, he could easily take on ten of his peers by himself."
Satisfied, Leyou continued, "Later, after entering the sub-adolescent stage and receiving intensive training from the clan, Le Nian is now basically unbeatable among his peers. Some members of the clan who are in their youth or adult stages are no match for him. Now, in the entire Lingyu clan, I estimate that only the captain of the guard team, Le Shan, can outmatch this kid."
"Heh, that's now. Let's see in a few years. I'm training hard every day now, and I'm determined to become the youngest captain of the Treant Clan's guard in the future." Le Nian smiled broadly at Le You's praise and raised his head to declare his bold words.